DIY Leather Basket Tags With Cricut

A few days ago I revealed my small laundry room makeover and it was such a hit! My Instagram DMs have been blowing up with questions and praise and my email inbox is going wild with comments on the leather tags I used on my baskets. So today I want to show you exactly how I made the tags, and how easy it is to work with leather. If the thought of this material freaks you out, put that thought behind you, because this was one of the easiest projects I’ve done with my Cricut Maker so far.

What You Need:

• Cricut Cutting Machine (I used the Maker, but the Explore works too)
• Deep-Point Blade
• Strong Grip Mat And Standard Grip Mat
• Cricut Genuine Leather 12×12 Sheet (one sheet makes 5 tags)
• Cricut Everyday Iron-On Vinyl (for text labels)
• Cricut Easy Press 2 (or a garment iron)
• Cricut Easy Press Mat (or a couple of thick towels)
• Teflon Sheet (or parchment paper if you’re in a pinch)
• Hot Glue Gun + Hot Glue Stick

Start In Design Space

Start by opening the tag template I created in Design Space. I made it publicly available so you can use it for free as long as you have Design Space access. You can open the tag template here.

I highly suggest you don’t adjust the sizing unless absolutely necessary because I set the sizes so the tag loop will fit in the tag slot perfectly with a little bit of wiggle room. Feel free to change the text for the labels, as those are sized appropriately as well.

Cut Templates With Cricut Machine

For the tags, load the genuine leather sheet face-down on the strong grip mat. Load the Deep-Point blade into the blade holder and start the cut. After all the cuts have been made, the Cricut machine will go over the lines again for a second time.

Then unload the mat, switch back to your regular cutting blade, and insert a second mat that’s prepped with the Everyday Iron On vinyl of your choice. **Make sure you’ve checked the Mirror box before cutting the text.

Prepare For Assembly

Go ahead and remove all the leather tag pieces and weed/prep your iron-on vinyl for transfer. If this is your first time doing an iron-on project, follow the instructions from Cricut’s Beginner Tutorial instructions.

Set up your workspace with the Easy Press Mat or a couple of thick towels, plug in your Easy Press 2 (or an iron if you don’t have one), and preheat it to 280 degrees. (For reference, I used the 9×9 Easy Press 2 and it covered all 5 tags at one time.)

Lay out your leather rectangle tags and place the vinyl text into position on the tags. Cover the tags with a Teflon Sheet, or 2 layers of parchment paper if you don’t have the Teflon Sheets.

Iron On Instructions For Cricut Genuine Leather

With your Easy Press 2 set at 280 degrees, and your project covered with a protective sheet, apply the Easy Press 2 with gentle pressure over the tags and hold in place for 30 seconds. Peel off the clear layer of film immediately after while it’s still warm.

Let the tags rest for 3-5 minutes before the next step. In the meantime, you can start heating up your hot glue gun.

Assembling The Tags

Place the leather strip piece through the slot on the tag and hot glue into place. Only do this on one side for now, so you can attach the tag to your basket. For a woven basket, slide the other side of the tag strip between weaves and bring back through another section of the weave. For a bin with a handle, you can just fold it over the handle.

Securing The Tags

You have a few options when it comes to securing the tag:

• You can hot glue the other end of the tag into place, which is the easiest route to take, but will be permanent and you won’t be able to change the tag easily.
• You can add a snapping button to the tag strip, which takes a bit more time and skill, but will produce a much more professionally finished project.
• You can use adhesive velcro on the tag strip for easy installation and removal.

I hot-glued my tags into place because I don’t plan on changing them, but if I were making these tags for kid’s room, I’d use the snap-button option instead. The way you secure your tags is completely up to you, though.

Show Off Your New Basket Tags!

After you make the tags, I want to see! Share your pics with #lelaimorganizedish on Instagram and tag me @lelaburris so I can see how you used them.

I can’t wait to see how you make these tags your own, and I really hope you like this template. It was the first time I created a custom template from scratch, and I’m pretty stinkin’ proud of it. 🙂

And check out my full makeover tour of my laundry room here!